The Fall of Communism in Russia
The Fall of Communism in RussiaThe Reasons for the fall of Socialism/Communism and the Troubles
of Starting the New Democratic System in the Russian Federation "Let's
not talk about Communism. Communism was just an idea, just pie in the
sky." Boris Yeltsin (b. 1931), Russian politician, president. Remark
during a visit to the U.S. Quoted in: Independent (London, 13 Sept.
1989).
The fall of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union was more
than a political event. The powerful bond between economics and
politics that was the integral characteristic of the state socialist
system created a situation that was unique for the successor states of
the Soviet Union. The Communist regime was so ingrain in every aspect
of Soviet life that the Russian people were left with little
democratic tradition. Russia faces the seemingly impracticable task of
economic liberalization and democratization. This is combined with the
fact that the new administration must address human rights issues,
such as living conditions and the supply of staple goods in this new
form of administration makes the prospect of a full democratic switch
seemingly impossible.
To fully understand the scope of the transference of governing
power in the Russian Federation, one must first look at the old
Socialist/Communist regime, to see the circumstances under which it
fell gives a good view of why this transference is almost impossible.
In the beginning Communism seemed to the people of Russia as a
utopian ideal. The promise of the elimination of classes, of
guaranteed employment , "The creation of a comprehensive social
security and welfare system for all citizens that would end the
misery of workers once and for all." Lenin's own interpretation of the
Marxian critique was that to achieve Communism there would first have
to be a socialist dictatorship to first suppress any dissent or
protest. Through coercive tactics this new government seized power and
in 1917 Lenin came to power. Under his "rule" the Soviet Union
underwent radical changes in it's economic doctrines adopting a mixed
economy which was termed the New Economic Policy also referred to as
NEP, this economy called for some private ownership of the means of
production, but the majority of industry was made property of the
people, which meant the majority of the means of production was
controlled by the government. Lenin's government made many
achievements. It ended a long civil war against the remnants of the
old Czarist military system and established institutions in
government. During this period, and in fact throughout the majority of
the Communist rule, censorship and the subordination of interest
groups such as trade unions was imposed to stop dissension and
increase conformity to the new governments policies.
Lenin died in 1924, and was quickly followed by Joseph Stalin as
head of the Soviet Communist Party, the oppressive reforms started by
Lenin were continued and at length became completely...
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